October 10, 2025 | 18 Tishrei 5786
Candlelighting 6:29 p.m. | Havdalah 7:26 p.m. | Vol. 68, No. 41 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
New ADL report examines ‘Hate in the Keystone State’
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL A novel donation
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Observance and observations: Seminar spotlights Vilnius
Pittsburgher gifts 3,500 books to Carnegie Library HOLIDAYS
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Anecdotes and inspiration Antisemitic agitators wrote in chalk of their love for the terrorist organization Hamas near the Cathedral of Learning in 2024. Photo by Joshua Summers By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Some thoughts on Simchat Torah Page 4
LOCAL Never forget
Cyber school gets Emmy for Holocaust film Page 5
SPECIAL SECTION Home Improvement
Tips for homeowners Page 8
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ennsylvania continues to see a rise in antisemitic incidents, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League. “Hate in the Keystone State: Extremism and Antisemitism in America” notes that 465 antisemitic incidents were reported in Pennsylvania last year, compared to 394 incidents in 2023, an 18% increase. Another 76 were reported in the state through June 2025. Nationwide, the ADL documented 9,354 antisemitic acts of assault, vandalism and harassment, a 5% increase from 2023 and a 344% increase from 2019. Pennsylvania’s number of antisemitic incidents was the fourth highest in the country, and included activity from both far-left and far-right groups, extremist plots and murders, and white supremacist propaganda and events. A closer look at Pennsylvania’s numbers reveals that in 2024, instances of assault increased by 140%, vandalism increased by 35% and harassment grew by 12%. Pittsburgh has seen hundreds of incidents in the last two years, including anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti painted on private property as well as at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Chabad of Squirrel Hill; the distribution of white supremacist literature; anti-Israel rallies; and individuals attempting to join both Hamas and Hezbollah, among other activities. Local groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt, are identified in the ADL report as organizing anti-Israel events where antisemitic activity often
occurs. The Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition and Steel City Anti-Fascist League are mentioned for having a prominent role in organizing activities and promoting antisemitic, pro-terror content and messaging. The Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter have been active in Pennsylvania, according to the report. The former is allegedly responsible for several instances of distributing antisemitic flyers in Pittsburgh. Several people have faced criminal charges stemming from antisemitic activity here, including Jeremy Brokaw, of Ohio, who was found guilty of driving to Pittsburgh and committing more than 160 acts of littering by throwing literature with antisemitic messages from his vehicle. He was fined more than $48,000. Brokaw is among those in the white supremacist community who find support among a network of similarly-minded groups and individuals. His Jewish lawyer from Pittsburgh represented defendants from the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally. Brokaw created a campaign on a crowdsourcing site that has attracted several supporters, some leaving antisemitic comments when making their donations, including Goyim Defense League leader Jon Minadeo II who, according to the ADL, wrote, “Drop the charges you filthy heebs.” “When we talk about anti-Israel incidents, we’re not talking about protected First Amendment speech,” explained Kelly Fishman, ADL’s regional director serving Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and western Please see Report, page 12
Liana Jagniatinskytė, left, and Hadas Kalderon discuss the life of Yiddish poet Abraham Sutzkever. Photo by Adam Reinherz By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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ILNIUS, LITHUANIA — Standing in the back of the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius, Lithuania — an early 20thcentury structure and the city’s only extant synagogue — Cantor Shmuel Yatom articulated a challenge for observant Jews in Vilnius: “There’s no kosher bread here.” Historically, such a statement would have been inconceivable; for generations Vilnius was a colossus of Jewish culture. Known as Yerusholayim d’Lite (Jerusalem of Lithuania), there were 80,000 Jews and more than 100 synagogues in Vilnius before World War II. One place of worship — the Great Synagogue of Vilnius, a nearly 300-year-old building desecrated by the Nazis and later demolished by the Soviets — seated 5,000 people. Vilnius’ Strashun Library (also plundered by the Nazis) once contained 40,000 prized Jewish writings. The Vilna Gaon, an 18th-century intellectual titan whose rabbinic glosses established Ashkenazic norms, lived and wrote in Vilnius. And, texts issued by Romm Widow and Brothers Printing House, a 19th-century Vilnius-based Jewish publisher, became the standard for students and scholars worldwide. Over two nights, before and after evening services, Yatom, 60, spoke with this reporter about Jewish life in Vilnius. Of the city’s 80,000 pre-war Jews, nearly 90% were murdered in the Holocaust. About 2,000 Please see Seminar, page 12
Chag Sameach!
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